Fact Sheet

July 2009

In late-July 2009, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will begin the next round of chemical oxidation remediation of the 10th Street Superfund Site in Columbus, Nebraska. The activities will last approximately fourteen weeks. The chemical oxidation remediation will be located in three areas: along 19th Street near 22nd Avenue, along an alley west of 24th Avenue between 9th and 10th Streets, and at the One Hour Martinizing source area.

The first round of chemical oxidation activities, which was completed in April 2007, occurred on 20th Street between 22nd and 24th avenues. The second round of chemical oxidation activities, completed in September 2007, occurred on 16th Street between 20th and 22nd avenues. Three rounds of chemical oxidation activities were conducted at the One Hour Martinizing source area, one in September 2007 and one in May 2008, and one in September 2008. The first round of injections at the city parking lot and the 20th Street location were also conducted in September 2008. A second round of injections was conducted at the city parking lot and the 20th Street location in May 2009. Sampling continues to be performed at regular intervals to monitor the concentrations of the contamination.

Planned Work

The planned activities are to drill approximately 240 holes into the ground spaced approximately five feet apart. Once the holes are drilled, a chemical called Permanganate will be injected into each hole. This chemical is a strong oxidizer which will neutralize the trichloroethylene (TCE) and tetrachloroethylene (PCE), both of which are in the contaminant plume that threatens Columbus' drinking water supply.

During these activities, EPA's contractor may have several workers and pieces of equipment in parking lots and streets as they move from hole to hole. EPA will work with the contractor to minimize any disruptions to the community, but there may be some times when traffic flow along the streets may be interrupted. We ask for your patience while we work to clean up the contaminant plume.

Additional Information

Site-related documents provide details of the nature and extent of contamination and the work that has been completed at the 10th Street site. These documents are part of the Administrative Record File, available during normal business hours at the following locations: